Learn About Evolution Site While Working From At Home

Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution

Despite the best efforts by biology educators, there are still a lot of misconceptions about evolution. People who have absorbed the nonsense of pop science often believe that biologists claim they do not believe in evolution.

This site, which is a companion to the PBS series offers teachers with resources that promote evolution education and avoids the kinds of myths that undermine it. It's laid out in a nested "bread crumb" format to make it easy for navigation and orientation.

Definitions

It's not easy to teach evolution well. People who are not scientists often have a difficult time understanding the subject, and some scientists even use a definition that confuses it. This is especially true when it comes to discussions on the meaning of the word itself.

Therefore, it is essential to define terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website helps you define these terms in an easy and helpful way. The site is a companion to the show which first aired in 2001, but can also function as an independent resource. The content is presented in an organized manner that makes it simpler to navigate and comprehend.

The site defines terms like common ancestor, gradual process and adaptation. These terms help to define the nature of evolution and its relationship to evolution with other scientific concepts. The site gives a comprehensive overview of the way in which evolution has been examined. This information can help dispel the myths that are created by the creationists.

You can also consult a glossary that includes terms that are used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:

Adaptation is the tendency of heritable traits to be more suitable to their environment. This is the result of natural selection, which happens when organisms that have better-adapted traits are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adaptable characteristics.

Common ancestor: The most recent common ancestor of two or more different species. The common ancestor can be identified through analyzing the DNA of the species.

Deoxyribonucleic acid: A huge biological molecule that holds the information necessary for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences, which are strung into long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are the reason behind the creation of new genetic information within cells.

Coevolution is a relation between two species, where the evolution of one species are influenced evolutionary changes of the other. Coevolution can be observed in the interactions between predator and prey, or parasite and hosts.

Origins

Species (groups which can interbreed) change through a series of natural changes in the traits of their offspring. These changes can be caused by many factors, such as natural selection, gene drift and mixing of the gene pool. The development of a new species can take thousands of years, and the process could be slowed down or speeded up by environmental conditions such as climate change or the competition for food or habitat.

The Evolution site follows the evolution of different animal and plant groups, focusing on major transitions within each group's past. It also explores human evolution, which is a topic that is of particular interest for students.

When Darwin wrote the Origin in 1859, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been found. One of them was the infamous skullcap and associated bones found in 1856 at the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany, which is now known as an early Homo neanderthalensis. Although the skullcap was not published until 1858, which was one year after the first edition of the Origin was published, it is very unlikely that Darwin had heard or seen of it.

While the site focuses on biology, it contains a wealth of information on geology and paleontology. The Web site has several features that are especially impressive, including a timeline of the way that climate and geological conditions have changed over time. It also features maps that show the locations of fossil groups.

While the site is a companion piece to the PBS television show but it also stands on its own as an excellent source for teachers and students. The site is very well organized and provides clear links between the introduction information in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more specialized elements of the museum's web site. These links make it easier to move from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated worlds of research science. There are links to John Endler’s experiments with guppies. They illustrate the importance ecology in evolutionary theory.

Diversity

The evolution of life has resulted in many species of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures in their natural environment and has numerous advantages over the modern observational and research methods of examining evolutionary processes. Paleobiology is able to study not just the processes and events that take place regularly or over time but also the relative abundance and distribution of various animal groups across the geological time.

The site is divided up into different paths that can be chosen to study the subject of evolution. One of these paths, "Evolution 101," guides the user through the nature and evidence of evolution. The path also explores common misconceptions about evolution and the evolution theory's history.

Each of the other main sections of the Evolution site is equally well developed, with materials that can support a variety of educational levels and pedagogical styles. In addition to the general textual content, the site also has an array of interactive and multimedia resources including videos, animations and virtual labs. The content is organized in a nested, bread crumb-like fashion that helps with navigation and orientation within the large Web site.

For example, the page "Coral Reef Connections" gives a brief overview of coral relationships and their interactions with other organisms. It then narrows down to a single clam that can communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in water conditions that occur at the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages, offers a great introduction to many topics in evolutionary biology. The content also includes an explanation of the importance of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetics analysis as a key tool to understand evolutionary change.

Evolutionary Theory

Evolution is a common thread that runs through all branches of biology. A vast collection of books helps in teaching evolution across the disciplines of life sciences.

One resource, a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an excellent example of an Web site that offers both depth and breadth in its educational resources. The site has a variety of interactive learning modules. It also has a "bread crumb structure" that assists students in moving away from the cartoon-like style used in Understanding Evolution and onto elements on this large website more closely linked to the fields of research science. For instance an animation that introduces the notion of genetic inheritance leads to a page that focuses on John Endler's experiments with artificial selection with guppies from the native ponds of Trinidad.

Another resource that is worth mentioning is the Evolution Library on this site, which has an extensive collection of multimedia assets related to evolution. The contents are organized into courses that are based on curriculum and follow the learning goals established in the standards for biology. It includes seven short videos specifically designed for use in classrooms, and can be streamed for no cost or purchased on DVD.

무료 에볼루션  of important questions remain at the heart of evolutionary biology, such as what triggers evolution and how fast it occurs. This is particularly true in the case of human evolution which was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that humans have a distinct place in the creation and a soul, with the idea that innate physical traits were derived from Apes.

Additionally there are a myriad of ways that evolution can occur and natural selection is the most widely accepted theory. Scientists also study other kinds like mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection.

Although many scientific fields of study conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts, evolution biology has been the subject of intense controversy and opposition from religious fundamentalists. While some religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the theories of evolution, other religions have not.